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Feature - Ital Tek
Monday 17th December 2012 | Ewan
The Dubstep scene is synonymous for deep growling basslines, wub-wubs and wows-wows these days, but one man has got other ideas for the genre. He's taking things in a new direction; one that is complexly layered, textured and beautifully melodic.
Lush soundscapes, patterend layeres, rhythmic intricasy. These are the elements attritubed to the artist Ital Tek, responcible for giving is such tracks as "Babel" and "Pixel Haze". He has worked with artists such as Boxcutter and the female vocalist Anneka. Alan Myson is an electronic musician hailing from the seaside city of Brighton and is the genius behind the recording name Ital Tek. Alan states in that he has always been musically orientated, saying
“When I was much younger at school I learned the clarinet and piano and played in the school orchestra. But that was never really a passion of mine it was more just something I found myself doing.” (subbass.cz)
So that explains an inate musical talent, but how does a classically trained young boy go to successful dubstep/electronica artist?
"Warp and then later Planet Mu and Rephlex got me excited about music when I was about fourteen. I just had no idea how it was made or who the artists were, so it made listening to those records really special. When I realised that I was quite a control freak with writing music I thought I’d buy a laptop and just give it a go seriously.” (clashmusic.com, symbiosis.com.au)
Which he did indeed.
“I moved to Brighton, went to a party with this 40k rig and it blew my head off. I remember there was a bloke crying and holding onto a bass bin.” (clashmusic.com)
Alans first official release was a 5 track digital download for the label Net Lab in 2006 entitled “Terminator 2” which featured heavy cut-up breaks, glitch and breakcore elements as well as many samples from the iconic movie. Then in 2008 he was signed to the prolific Planet-Mu label and hit the dubstep scene with his debut album "Cyclical" which was released to critical acclaim. Alan's music evolved and took shape into something much more deep, profound and aurally pleasing compared to his original experiments under the Net Lab label.
In 2009 Alan followed up with two E.Ps. "Massive Error" and "Mako" ranges from the progressive and digitally meldodic techno track Snowburst, to the more serene and philosophical soundscape that is Strange Love. After deciding that Planet Mu wasn't getting his tracks out fast enough, he decided to launch his own label titled Atom River. So far Alan has only released his own tracks on the label, but it's more than likely that he will eventually release other artists music which he finds interesting.
His first full-length album titled “Midnight Colour” was released in 2010 under Planet Mu to wide critical acclaim. Alan's sound had evolved and become something much more rich, textured, layered and beautifully melodic. When asked about how his music had evolved he said:
“I think I’ve become a lot more focused,” he asserts. “I’ve become more confident with melody and structure and it’s the first record I’m completely happy with. I’ve just been trying to make the best album I can and hopefully some people will dig it.” (clashmusic.com)
So how on earth does he come up with this stuff?
"It’s really hard to talk about the creative process because it’s such a personal experience and I was just totally in the zone whilst making it. When you have a burst of creativity like that you just have to go with it, and luckily it just all kind of fell into place." (symbiosis.com.au)
Tracks worth checking out on this album are Restless Tundra and Moment in Blue, though all are fantastic and deserve an evening of easy-listening and deep thought. So what's Alan been up to since then? Well...
Earlier this year a new EP was released titled “The Planet” which features 4 new tracks, each rich with colourful melodic rhythms and that ever changing beat pattern that Alan is so fond of.
More importantly however, is the new release of Alan's latest Album - “Nebula Dance” which features 12 tracks of varying complexity and melodic vibrance. Glokk is a chiming, flowing piece which features echoed vocals and a soundcape that grows larger as the song progresses. Dusk Beat on the other hand is a good example of Alan's fondness for layered beats and percussion crafting. So there is something for everyone here, just remember to be sitting comfortably and support Alan by buying a copy if you enjoy it.
So what's next? Alan recently played a gig at Corsica Studios in London at the Planet Mu night, which featured a sparkling set consisting of some of his latest releases and some unreleased.Can we look forward to some new releases in the new year? Hopefully. Until then we'll continue losing ourselves in the volumetric and intricate soundscapes he's been creating recently. Nice one Alan!
- Ewan Phillips @e1anator
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